Animal Information

Burrowing Owl

Athene cunicularia

Biome: Great Southwest

Classification: Birds

Biography: Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are active during the day. As their name implies, these small owls nest in abandoned prairie dog, tortoise and rodent burrows. Their nesting chamber is usually at the end of a tunnel, 5 ft. or more long, and is lined with grass, feathers and other materials. Both parents incubate the 6-11 eggs. The young spend most of their life underground, but emerge before they are fully fledged, to exercise their flight muscles. When disturbed in the burrow, the owls make a rattling hiss that mimics the buzzing sound of an irate rattlesnake.

Possibly, this sound helps to scare off potential predators. A voracious feeder, this owl can eat its own weight in a day. Its diet consists of ground squirrels, snakes, lizards, birds and insects. In winter, some burrowing owls migrate to warmer climates.